The Heart's Content - Our true intentions

August 29, 2021 14th Sunday of Pentecost Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The heart’s content – our true intentions Year B Opening Song Welcome Invocation God of all life, many of us are bored, apathetic or caught by our own “to do” lists. Surprise and challenge us today with Good News! Fill us with the compelling Word-made-flesh – Jesus. Help all of what comes from within our lives not defile our world, but be rich and engaging love for neighbor and for you. AMEN Stewardship Moment Mark’s Gospel text today tells of the Pharisees and some of the scribes who question Jesus about his disciples’ action (eating without first washing hands). “Why do your disciples not (live/walk) according to the tradition … but eat with defiled hands?” We’ve all been living in a culture in which we’ve been urged (vigorously!) to wash our hands multiple times a day – a particular action which makes sense, especially in this COVID pandemic. We’ll continue to exercise caution, and perhaps sing our ABC’s, as we scrub hands each day. But the Pharisees’ question is more than hand-washing. It urges us to question ourselves: “how do I (how do WE) live/walk? In our worship, we take time to demonstrate our desire to live/walk in step with Jesus, with glad and generous actions. This time of offering our gifts opens the door for us to actively show we’re not caught up in the evil things which come from within (“fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice…envy, slander, pride, folly”) but we’re caught by the good which dwells in us! So how will you live/walk in this moment? Let us each, let us all, act out our faith, as we share our tithes, offerings and gifts. Prayer of Thanksgiving With our faith in you, Generous God, we offer you these gifts. Receive them as signs of our desire to walk in the Way of Jesus. Use this financial support, and use each of us, to help smooth the path and broaden the appeal of those seeking to live beyond the expectations of society. AMEN Passing the Peace of Christ (James 1) You are God’s beloved children. Look into one another’s face to see the beauty of God’s presence. Share the Lord’s peace with gladness. Scripture Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Mark 7:1-8 Common English Bible What contaminates a life? 7 The Pharisees and some legal experts from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. 2 They saw some of his disciples eating food with unclean hands. (They were eating without first ritually purifying their hands through washing. 3 The Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat without first washing their hands carefully. This is a way of observing the rules handed down by the elders. 4 Upon returning from the marketplace, they don’t eat without first immersing themselves. They observe many other rules that have been handed down, such as the washing of cups, jugs, pans, and sleeping mats.) 5 So the Pharisees and legal experts asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples not living according to the rules handed down by the elders but instead eat food with ritually unclean hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah really knew what he was talking about when he prophesied about you hypocrites. He wrote, This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. 7 Their worship of me is empty since they teach instructions that are human words.[a] 8 You ignore God’s commandment while holding on to rules created by humans and handed down to you.” Mark 7:14-15 14 Then Jesus called the crowd again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing outside of a person can enter and contaminate a person in God’s sight; rather, the things that come out of a person contaminate the person.”[a] Mark 7:21-23 21 “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, 22 adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” Sermon The Heart’s Content – Our true intentions There is a sign in the girl’s bathroom that says Jesus and germs are everywhere – be sure to wash your hands. Jesus and germs…hmm. In this day and age, a sermon about washing our hands is very relevant. You don’t have to tell any of us about the importance of washing our hands. Back in Jesus’ day they didn’t have access to hand sanitizer. When the pharisees criticize Jesus and the disciples for not washing their hands before eating – Jesus has to explain to them that their understanding of cleanliness only applies to wealthy urban people. People in the rural countryside would not have the same access to soap and water. We have all heard the saying that cleanliness is next to godliness. We all think of that as a biblical saying, and yet it appears no where in the bible. As a matter of fact, that is the point that Jesus is making to the pharisees. It is not even a biblical concept. Purity is a big concept in Judaism and even in Islam. So before you enter into the sanctuary – you wash your hands and feet. Before you meet God – you make sure that you are clean. Even for us – the baptismal fount is placed at the entrance of the sanctuary so that you can remember your baptism – a chance to get spiritually clean before facing God. So that is Jesus whole point – physical cleansing is the first step in spiritual cleansing. This is the place of confusion for the pharisees – they were confusing the two things. In actuality – Jesus and germs do not really go together. The concept of a germ that goes into your body and kills you would not have made sense in Jesus’ time. Germs are pretty modern, it wasn’t until 1850 the Europeans start studying germs. And it wasn’t until the 1920 when scientist developed a theory of germs and the importance of washing hands. Many ancient cultures would have had a theory that if you ingested certain things you got sick. Genesis, Deuteronomy and Leviticus spends a lot of time outlining conditions that make you sick, and how important it is for you to isolate yourself so that you don’t infect the rest of the community. But they didn’t think of germs as the culprit – but evil spirits. God is the opposite of evil – that is why it is so important to come to God with a clean spirit. Jesus reminds that pharisees that they have lost the whole point of spiritual cleanliness. Washing your hands before coming to church is not a biblical concept – it was known as a tradition of the elders. The traditions that have been passed on from the elders is a key part of Judaism. Honoring Hebrew traditions was everything. Even today – people don’t have a problem with Jesus as the Christ. They have a problem with the fact that Jesus seemed to dishonor the tradition of the elders. He was told that as a rabbi, he should know better than letting his disciples eat without washing their hands. They did not realize, that Jesus was not dishonoring tradition, he was questioning it. I mean, let’s admit it – even today we as Christians have the best of intentions in our religion, but let’s face it – we tend to get set in our ways. Tradition becomes everything – our tradition. Anyone who doesn’t do it the way we think it should be done is doing it wrong. Humor: A Tradition of Fighting There is a story about a young, newly ordained minister who went to serve his first church. He noticed that on the first Sunday, when he said the prayers, the congregation on the left side of the church stood at the beginning of the prayers, and the congregation on the right side remained seated. The young minister thought this was a bit odd, but he kept going in the prayers — until he began to hear some murmuring between the two sides, then the murmuring turned into grumbling and then people yelling at each other, proclaiming that they were doing the right thing when came to the tradition of the church. Distressed by what he had seen and all that was taking place, the young pastor went to seek the council of the former, now elderly pastor, who had served this congregation for years. He asked him, “So is it the tradition of the congregation to stand during the prayers?” The older minister, whose memory was now failing, stroked his beard, replied, “No, that is not the tradition, as I recall.” “So, the tradition is that they remain seated during the prayers?” To which the old minister responded, “No, that’s not the tradition either.” The young pastor threw his hands in the air in exasperation, and said, “There must be some solution to this! The way things are now, half stand and half sit and all end up screaming at one another during the prayers.” The old pastor’s face lit up in a smile; he lifted his finger high into the air and said, “Ahh, yes! Now I remember — that was the tradition!” Traditional I worry today because our world today is more and more polarized - in the church, in the community, between races. Who would have thought that washing our hands and the effect of germs would become a political issue in which we separate ourselves. Jesus messes with the pharisees and their using tradition a dividing point. He tells them that what germs that go into the body are not nearly as bad as the germs that come out of it. Now technically – we have to remember that Jesus is speaking in a very different time. Because the germs that we take into our body do hurt us. And it is more important than ever that we wash our hands. But Jesus us messing with us to. He is telling us that cleanliness goes much deeper than our hands. And we cannot let cleanliness separate us from the fundamentals of our faith – unity, moving beyond traditional religion and being intentional about loving, and moving beyond our natural responses to life. God is not so much concerned about our hands as God is concerned about our hearts. If we are not intentional about our faith, it is what comes out of our hearts that hurts. “It’s from the inside, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual sins, thefts, murders, 22 adultery, greed, evil actions, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, insults, arrogance, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from the inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” In prior years that I have preached on this scripture – I would define each of those sins that Jesus listed. Today I don’t think that is the Jesus point for us. We live in a world where we are all divided on some point looking for a way to move forward as a collective body in spite of our differences. In every age we struggle with the balance of tradition and contemporary. And it is as important as ever that we wash our hands. Jesus came into the world so that we have life. In the midst of our differences, sometimes that it all that is holding us together – Jesus. Let us be intentional about holding jesus in our hearts. It is not just what we put in our bodies, but what we put in our mouths, our minds, our spirits and our souls. What we put in, determines what comes out. Let us pray….. Prayer Compassionate God, we like to think that all we have to do is be “religious”, to speak the words, but that we really don’t have to “walk the walk”. We can get so caught up in ritual and rules, that we forget the essence of your word for us. We forget that we are called to truly be people of peace, not just to speak the words, but to practice lives of compassion and hope. So many times in this world, we are challenged to “take sides”, one against the other; but that is contrary to your will. You call us to stand for mercy, justice, love, forgiveness, hope, and peace. You want us to be people who care deeply about others and about this world. Help us to be ready to truly and joyfully serve you, O God. Free us from selfishness and self-centeredness. Lift us to lives of peace; for we offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN. Song Just as I am without one Plea UMH 357 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook God of abundant love, you delight us with your grace— grace expressed in the beauty of our world. God of truth and light, you challenge us to live faithful lives— to turn away from evil, to follow your ways, to serve your people. May your word of truth grow within us this day, that we may bring forth a harvest of peace. Amen. Community Time Benediction Arise, my fair ones, and come away! Where are we going? We go to the realm of God’s love, a place of great beauty. What will we find? We will find music and sweetness, an abundance of grace. We go with joy to meet our Lord! Children’s Sermon Object: Some cosmetics--especially a tube of lipstick Good morning, boys and girls. There is an old saying that you can't judge a book by its cover. What do you think that means? That's right. A book cover may not tell you what's really inside. We could say the same thing about people, couldn't we? A person may really look great on the outside. They may have their lipstick just right. (Pretend you are using the cosmetics). How many of you girls wear lipstick? You're a little young, aren't you? How about you fellows? You don't wear lipstick either? A person might have their lipstick on just right. Their eyeliner may be just so and they may have on beautiful earrings. (Male Pastor) What would you think if I came to church some Sunday with all those things on? I would look a little strange, wouldn't I? A person can have all their make-up just right and have on beautiful clothes and accessories--and guess what? They can be rotten to the core on the inside, can't they? They can be mean to other people and stingy. They can use foul language and abuse their bodies and just be generally no good. The Bible tells us Jesus doesn't worry about how we look on the outside. Jesus cares about how we are on the inside. Jesus doesn't care how religious we look on Sunday mornings. All He cares about is what He sees in our hearts. Let's pray that when Jesus looks beyond what we are on the outside-- when he looks into our hearts--he will see love for him and love for every person. That's what he values most--a heart full of love for God and for others. Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Duncan Additional Illustrations I'd be the last person to give anyone dietary advice; what foods are good,and will product good health, and what foods are bad for you. A friend once said to me, pardon the expression, we shouldn't eat crap, and we all know what crap is. Likewise, we need to be careful about what we hear and see, what values we're exposed to, what values are crap, lest the wrong things come bursting out of our hearts.... The Rabbi and the White Horse A young man once came to a great rabbi and asked him to make the younger man a rabbi. It was wintertime then. The rabbi stood at the window looking out upon the yard, while the rabbinical candidate was droning into his ears a glowing account of his piety and learning. The young man said, "You see, Rabbi, I always go dressed in spotless white like the sages of old. I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips. Also, I live a plain and simple life. I have sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to mortify me. Even in the coldest weather, I lie naked in the snow to torment my flesh. Also daily, I receive forty lashes on my bare back to complete my perpetual penance." As the young man spoke, a white horse was led into the yard and to the water trough. It drank, and then it rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do. "Just look!" cried the rabbi. "That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also, rest assured, it gets its daily ration of forty lashes on the rump from its master. Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?!?!" Which is more important – what goes into us or what comes out of us? Which defines us more – our outside behavior or our inside motivation? Carla Thompson Powell, Insides vs. Outsides? What Really Matters? Tradition Is a Powerful Thing Years ago Harry Emerson Fosdick told about a church in Denmark where the worshipers bowed regularly before a certain spot on the wall. They had been doing that for three centuries -- bowing at that one spot in the sanctuary. Nobody could remember why. One day in renovating the church, they removed some of the whitewash on the walls. At the exact spot where the people bowed they found the image of the Madonna under the whitewash. People had become so accustomed to bowing before that image that even after it was covered up for three centuries, people still bowed. Tradition is a powerful thing. The Pharisees had learned to substitute tradition, custom, habit for the presence of the living God. Traditionalism rears its head in many ways, in many times and in many places. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Which Flowers Are Real? The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, and one day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the queen of Sheba is reported to have said, "Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said, "Open the windows and let the bees come in." There are ways to tell the artificial from the real — let the bees come in; they will know where the real is. If we live with the authentic Jesus long enough, we will recognize the artificial when we see it. Brooks Ramsey, When Religion Becomes Real For Jesus the food laws became critical arguing points to challenge the exclusion of Gentiles from the kingdom of God. A new identity for Israel was unfolding and it required a shift in understanding the purpose of the law. Table manners are not after all meant for banishing to the basement those who aren’t worthy enough to eat. They are meant to help make dining a pleasurable experience for everyone. But the controversy over food laws persisted, and in the early Church reflected tensions between Jewish and Gentile Christians that kept them from table fellowship together. Today, for us, other controversies keep Christians from coming to the table together. Opinions about policies having to do with genetic research, war, medical care, education, the environment, and gender give us all the opportunity for violent disagreement, if we let them. Each of these areas of contention represents deeply held convictions about how we are to live. These convictions in part, tell us who we are. When they are challenged, we get scared. It feels as if our very existence is threatened. And it is fear, ultimately, that fuels the evil intentions of the heart. What defines us? Jesus perhaps might have said, it’s not so much that “you are what you eat,” but “what’s eating you.” Mary Ogus, untitled sermon Overcoming the Sacred Cows Every church has such traditions that have become sacred cows. In one church I pastored, the color of the carpet had become the sacred cow. We had always had red carpet, but now the property committee was going to change it to blue. Some people just weren’t sure they could worship God on a BLUE CARPET, God forbid. At another church, we had the Great Hymnbook Controversy of 1975. For twenty years, the 1956 version of the hymnal had been used and cherished in that church, but now the music committee wanted to purchase the newly updated 1975 version. This decision sparked a major debate on the quality of music in each hymnal. The final decision was made at a two-hour church-wide business meeting where we finally hammered out a compromise that barely averted dividing the church. The 1956 hymnal would be kept in the sanctuary, and the 1975 hymnal would be used in the chapel. I have heard about a church where a similar controversy erupted over whether the Communion would be served before the sermon or after the sermon. Other churches fight over where the piano is placed, where the Doxology is sung, or even how to take the offering. It seems that every church manages to elevate certain practices from the routine to sacred traditions. Church growth specialist Bill Easum once wrote about book about this phenomenon. He called it “Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers.” Churches that grow have to find a way to eat those sacred cows. Mickey Anders, Clean Hands or Clean Heart? Is It From Within or From Without? The Good News Bible version of the Gospel says: "what comes out of a person makes him unclean ... from the inside, from a person's heart, come the evil ideas which lead him to do immoral things..." (paraphrase) What is inside has to come out! I saw a survey that compared the worst discipline problems in public schools in the 1940s and the 1990s. In the 1940s the worst discipline problems in public schools were: talking; chewing gum; making noise; running in the halls; getting out of turn in line; wearing improper clothes; not putting paper in wastebaskets! Some of the worst problems in the 1990s were: drug abuse; alcohol abuse; pregnancy; suicide; rape; robbery; assault. What an incredible shift in behavior patterns in only forty years. I was in public school in the forties, entered college in the late forties. I had grandchildren in public school in the 1990s. These harsh and shocking facts are calling us to make a corrective response. Can we, will we, make it? Clearly something is getting into our children that is coming out in intolerably destructive ways. What is it that in so short a time school problems have changed from "chewing gum" to drunkenness and drugs, from "getting out of turn in line" to getting out of life through suicide? What is defiling our children, if I dare use that term? Is it their fault or society's? Is it something within or without? Charles R. Leary, Mission Ready!, CSS Publishing Company